How to Use Social Media to Land Your Dream Job

Given the current economy, a job search can often seem daunting or hopeless. Where do you begin and will your resume even be seen?

Thanks to the advancements in technology and the rapid pace of social media, we now have additional resources for this cumbersome task and hopefully one that will make a job search a little less discouraging. Since the primary goal of social media is to be “social,” it’s the perfect place to begin when looking for your next job or the dream job you’ve always wanted. Before you begin any job search, always make sure your resume is up to date. If needed, have a peer review it or a Human Resources Manager.

LinkedIn: If you’re not on LinkedIn, this is the first place to start. Create your profile and make sure it’s 100% complete. LinkedIn has specific guidelines that determine a 100% complete profile. These include uploading a photo, filling out previous work history, creating a custom URL, filling out your summary, listing your skills, and school history. Take your time and be thorough. Recruiters search LinkedIn daily looking for prospects and they only look for complete and accurate profiles. A neat feature about LinkedIn is being able to view who has looked at your profile. If recruiters are looking, it’s a good sign however if they’re not contacting you, you might want to give it another look through to see what’s missing and/or what might be turning them off. LinkedIn is also a great place to search for jobs and apply directly. While searching, you’ll see if you have any connections that might be able to help you land the job you want. Use these connections to introduce you to the hiring manager or figure out what the job requirements are.

Facebook: While searching (and just in general), it’s a good idea to lock down your profile or limit what you share publicly. Chances are your potential employer is looking for you online and if they see something they don’t like on Facebook, you might not get hired. Facebook is also a great place to let friends and family know that you’re looking. Post your LinkedIn URL, a brief summary of your skills, and what you’re looking for so that your friends can keep you in mind if they come across anything. Also do a search on Facebook of the companies you’re interested in. Some of them post job openings online and you may be able to apply directly.

Twitter: On Twitter there is an option to protect your tweets, however I don’t recommend this during a job search. Instead, watch what you tweet and use Twitter to your advantage. Update your bio with your LinkedIn URL and a #HireMe hashtag. Tweet that you’re actively searching for a job and search other hashtags like #NowHiring, #Jobs, and do a search of your dream companies to see if they’re posting jobs online. Join industry chats like #jobhuntchat and #careerchat to get helpful tips to assist with your job hunt.

Pinterest: Have you ever thought of pinning your resume? Probably not but Pinterest is the hottest social media tool these days so might as well use it to your advantage. Create a resume board with photos highlighting different aspects of your resume, follow career experts, follow the companies you’re targeting, and link your Pinterest resume online. Chances are that someone might like the fact that you’ve been creative online and consider you for a career.

Once you’ve updated your resume, cleaned up your profiles, and created that clever Pinterest job board, be sure to list them on your resume so that companies can see that you’re active online and assess your social skills to determine if you’re a team player and a good fit for their company.

Have you used social media for your job search? Let us know what tip and tricks you found to be successful and what you would recommend?